Northview Stallion Station

This time not a trip for the general public, but a visit to Northview Stallion Station, one of Maryland's premier thoroughbred racing facilities.

Our first stop is the breeding barn.

We were lucky enough to watch two mares getting bred. The one above was bred toTwo Punch. Before the mating takes place the mares tail is wrapped and a teaser stallion is brought in to get the mare in the mood. Poor bugger doesn't ever get to do anything. What a job!

I'll spare you the pictures of the actual thing, but here's the second stallion Great Notion catching the scent of his mare.

The stallion barn.

Here's Not For Love, the best stallion standing outside of Kentucky for the past seven years. He was actually pretty mellow and let us pet his nose.

Time to go see the babies!!

The impregnation is over in minutes and most people take their mares back home for the duration of the pregnancy, but some mares are boarded at Northview.

Lots of babies!

Time for a nap!

The newest addition to the farm. What a cute little foal!

They talked to us for a while about Maryland's ban on slots at tracks and how it has affected them and the horse racing industry in Maryland. I already knew it was bad news for the horse industry here, but never realized how bad it really is. Hopefully, slots will get legalized in the future!


Trip summary:
Rating: 8/10
Distance: 98 mi
Time spent: 2.5 hrs
More information: http://www.northviewstallions.com/